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LEGISLATORS PLEASE STOP THE TRIVIAL PURSUITS

By Jeff Crouere

Friday, April 11 2008

It seems that every year, Louisiana legislators’ waste time by sponsoring bills that have no business being introduced in any session. In the past, we have debated the merits of an official state poem, whether we should make Miss Louisiana the official state hostess and other trivia. In this session, legislators actually debated the merits of naming an official state cocktail. Supporters of the Sazerac wanted the Louisiana Legislature to honor that mixed drink above all others. I guess the sponsors were not worried about offending supporters of other homegrown alcoholic concoctions, such as the Hurricane, the Pimm’s Cup, or the Hand Grenade!   Is it really worthwhile spending the effort and money choosing an official state cocktail? Does that help improve our state image in any way? With the longstanding problems Louisiana has faced in dealing with bad behavior among politicians, why would any legislator support such a bill?   Fortunately, the Louisiana Senate wisely rejected the legislation by a resounding vote of 27-8. Senators were correct in noting that the passage of the bill “would send the wrong message” about the state.   Yet, legislators have not just wasted time on cocktails; they are getting ready to debate the issue of increasing the legal smoking age and eliminating the helmet law for motorcyclists. They will also be wasting time by debating the merits of a bill to mandate public bathrooms install protective barriers in urinals. Legislators have no business worrying about urinals, cocktails, the smoking age or motorcycle helmets, as these are “issues” that are irrelevant to the mission of legislators.   Our legislators should have their hands full dealing with real problems such as cutting taxes and government waste, establishing the ethical reforms that were passed in the special session and working to bring jobs and industry to our state.   The real problems that beset our state are daunting to say the least. While we have made some progress in the last few months, Louisiana is still ranked at the bottom of most lists and the task ahead is enormous. It will benefit all Louisiana citizens if our legislators stop wasting their time and our money and start dealing with the real issues that will make this state a better place to work and live. Establishing an official state cocktail will not create one job and will only hurt our image. It is time to focus on improving our image and our business climate and forget the trivia, please!   ------ Jeff Crouere is a native of New Orleans, LA and he is the host of a Louisiana based program, “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. For more information, visit his web site at www.ringsidepolitics.com. E-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Bookmark

 

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